Balanced Use of Zn, Cu, Fe, and B Improves the Yield and Sucrose Contents of Sugarcane Juice Cultivated in Sandy Clay Loam Soil

Balanced use of micronutrients in soils is essential for optimized nutrient use efficiency, environmental conservation and long-term sustainability of agro-ecological systems. As a result, maintaining correct micronutrient levels in the soil is essential not only to meet plant needs and maintain agricultural productivity but also to avoid nutrient build-up. The present study aimed to investigate the effect of micronutrient application on the yield and sucrose content expressed as the polarization of sugar cane juice (POL%) under field conditions. There were seven treatments, viz. T₀ = No micronutrient application (control); T₁ = ZnSO₄ at the rate of 30 kg ha⁻¹; T₂ = CuSO₄ at the rate of 10 kg ha⁻¹; T₃ = FeSO₄ at the rate of 30 kg ha⁻¹; T₄ = borax at the rate of 2 kg ha⁻¹; T₅ = half dose of ZnSO₄, CuSO₄, FeSO₄ and borax at the rate of 15, 5, 15 and 1 kg ha⁻¹ and T₆ = full dose of ZnSO₄, CuSO₄, FeSO₄ and borax at the rate of 30, 10, 30 and 2 kg ha⁻¹, arranged in randomized complete block design in triplicate. With the application of ZnSO₄ at 30 kg ha⁻¹ along with recommended doses of NPK, 30% more income was generated as compared with the control. Fist plant and ratoon crop yields were 19.08% and 22.03% higher, respectively, than in the control. Similarly, Zn application resulted in 5.91% and 8.64% greater sucrose contents (POL%) in plant and ratoon crops, respectively, when compared with the control. The application of ZnSO₄ at the rate of 30 kg ha⁻¹ along with recommended doses of NPK had a significant impact on the yield and sucrose contents of sugarcane.